Fan admits attacking Celtic manager Neil Lennon

Lennon was attcked during a match last season (Getty Images)

A football fan admitted today that he assaulted Celtic manager Neil Lennon during a match last season, telling a jury: "It must have been awful for him."

John Wilson, 26, told Edinburgh Sheriff Court: "I can't say how sorry I am to Mr Lennon."

Wilson, a Hearts fan from Edinburgh, told how he had "let so many people down" as a result of the assault on May 11 and regretted "every moment" of it.

But he denied making a sectarian remark during the incident, as prosecutors allege.

Wilson denies calling Mr Lennon a "Fenian b******", saying he instead called the football star a "f****** w*****".

Asked about his views on sectarianism, he stated: "It's not right."

Wilson was giving evidence for the defence on the third day of his trial, where he stands accused of attacking Lennon at a Hearts v Celtic match at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh.

The attack is alleged to have been religiously aggravated.